The actress and writer discussing her uproarious show portraying the grotty allure of Gen Z existence
The star enters the online meeting and immediately starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing really remorseful. Although she's only slightly behind, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s exactly what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Anyone who have seen her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and brash film Bottoms—that she penned with the director and starred in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that Sennott has much to say, be it about roles, relationships, or the pros of forming a teen fight club. Plus, after watching the latest seasonal HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds additional insights on the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, citing the show together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the travails of online personality Tallulah and ally and new representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant influence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the show about an emerging celebrity succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The idea for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, originally difficult, move to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for followers. That period marked a phase that involved her learn some big truths, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Brought up in the East Coast, the star began developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and posting hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre skits online. One, Baby Cult, followed characters intensely drawn to having babies; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who questioned about Sennott previously will likely be regretting it today. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have created an ideal role. In 2019 she posted content called on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos juggling benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable outcast). One might easy to create a program about digital influence that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, making for a representation of affluent young adult life that’s candid about the chaos and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she observes. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant
